Žemaitaitis says leaving coalition would only benefit his party
The leader of Lithuania’s Nemuno aušra (Nemunas Dawn) party, Remigijus Žemaitaitis, has stated he would not fear leaving the ruling coalition, claiming it would only work in his party’s favour, LRT reports.
Speaking to the ELTA news agency on Monday, Žemaitaitis dismissed concerns over ongoing talks between the governing Social Democrats and the opposition Democratic Union “For Lithuania” about a potential coalition reshuffle. He described such discussions as “a very good thing” and “politically normal and orderly.”
“I already said a month ago that if they make that decision, it will only be to our advantage. We’ll be able to speak more freely—right now, we constantly have to explain ourselves: one Social Democrat is involved in the ‘checks’ scandal, another has immunity issues, or something else. We’re always explaining and explaining,” Žemaitaitis said.
His comments follow reports that the Social Democratic Party of Lithuania (LSDP) plans to discuss a possible coalition with the Democrats this week. LSDP deputy chair Rasa Budbergytė confirmed the talks, while party leader Mindaugas Sinkevičius acknowledged “minimal” discussions with the Democrats but stopped short of calling them negotiations.
Former Prime Minister Saulius Skvernelis, who recently left the Democrats’ parliamentary group, had previously been cited as the main obstacle to such a coalition. Žemaitaitis rejected this claim: “No, I don’t think so. If it weren’t for Skvernelis, the ‘For Lithuania’ group wouldn’t exist in the Seimas at all.”
The future of Nemuno aušra in the ruling majority has been uncertain for some time, particularly after several of its MPs voted against advancing legislation to establish the Kapčiamiesčio military training ground. The current coalition—comprising the Social Democrats, Nemuno aušra, and the Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union—holds 80 seats in the 141-seat Seimas. Without Nemuno aušra, the government would lose its clear majority, dropping to 62 seats.